Before next week’s Open Championship, the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour are hosting the Genesis Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club (par 70, 7,237 yards, fescue greens) in North Berwick, Scotland. This will be the seventh year in a row that the Genesis Scottish Open has been played at the Renaissance Club and this is the fourth straight year that this event has been co-sanctioned between the PGA TOUR and DP World TOUR, meaning this field of 156 golfers will be evenly split with 75 players from each circuit. Robert MacIntyre (-18) is the defending champion of the Genesis Scottish Open and after the first two rounds this week, there will be a top-65 and ties cut.
The Renaissance Club is a links course that features narrow fairways, thick rough, large greens, 83 bunkers and no water hazards. We have seen both short and long hitters win at the Renaissance Club, but in recent years, bombers have had a slight advantage at this par 70, with three of the past four winners finishing the event top-20 in SG OTT. This doesn’t mean to only prioritize long hitters, but if debating between two players, going with the better driver of the two makes sense this week. Per usual, strong iron play is essential at the Renaissance Club, as for three years running, the winner of the Genesis Scottish Open has finished the event top-seven in SG APP. To a lesser degree, being efficient around the greens is also important at the Renaissance Club, as three of the past five champions here have finished the tournament top-15 in SG ARG.
The Renaissance Club is a rare par 70, as this track is home to 10 par fours, five par threes and three par fives. Scoring on the par fours is most crucial, particularly the 450-500-yard par fours, as five of the 10 par fours at the Renaissance Club fall in this range. Each of the last five Genesis Scottish Open winners have finished the week top-eight in par four efficiency, and four of these players have finished the event top-15 in efficiency on the 450-500-yard par fours of the Renaissance Club.
Below, I have featured four of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the Genesis Scottish Open, which all cost less than $7.5K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $800K Summer Sand Trap [$200K to 1st]
Victor Perez ($7,200) – Perez has made 5-of-6 cuts at the Renaissance Club, including three top-30 finishes, most notably with a T10 just last season. The French professional carded a 5-under 65 during the final round of last year’s Genesis Scottish Open, and Perez returns to the Renaissance Club as the maker of six of his last eight cuts, with three top-20 finishes during this stretch.
Perez ranks top-35 in SG APP, SG ARG and par four performance this season, and he has plenty of links golf experience on his resume, as a former DP World Tour player, who won three times on the circuit. Perez has the potential for a top-25 finish and is one of the best values on the board at this cheap price point.
Chris Gotterup ($7,100) – Forget that Gotterup missed the cut in his first attempt at the Renaissance Club last season and confidently roster him this week. Gotterup had missed four of his previous six cuts before teeing it up at the Renaissance Club last season, but this time around, he has only missed one cut in his last eight solo starts and all seven of these finishes have come inside the top-30. The last two weeks, Gotterup has finished T26th at the Rocket Classic and T21st at the John Deere Classic, while gaining strokes in every major category at both events.
Gotterup ranks seventh in total strokes gained when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, and the 25-year-old has been one of the best drivers on the PGA TOUR this season, ranking 10th in SG OTT. Additionally, Gotterup ranks ninth in par four performance. The Rutgers product is flourishing right now and is extremely underpriced for his current form.
Lee Hodges ($7,100) – Hodges has made 10-of-14 solo cuts this season, and he has made four straight cuts entering this week. During this cut streak, Hodges has carded two top-25 finishes, including a T21 at last week’s John Deere Classic, in which he led the field in SG APP. Hodges has impressively gained strokes on approach at all but one event this season, and he ranks 13th in the metric on the PGA TOUR.
The elite iron player also ranks 25th in proximity to the hole on approach shots from 175-200 yards out this season, which is a great sign for the Renaissance Club, as over the last five years, 25.4% of approach shots at this venue have come from this distance. Hodges has finished T12th and T46th in his two starts at the Renaissance Club, and he is an excellent bargain play at only $7,100.
Denny McCarthy ($7,000) – While McCarthy missed the cut in his Genesis Scottish Open debut last year, the veteran should redeem himself with a quality finish at the Renaissance Club this week. McCarthy has yet to miss a cut in 17 starts this season, and nine of these finishes have been top-25 results. Most recently, the 32-year-old has finished T12th at the Travelers Championship and T11th at the John Deere Classic in his last two starts, and at both of these events, McCarthy gained strokes with both his irons and putter.
McCarthy ranks 35th in total strokes gained this season, and he is a difficult fade at this low salary, which is a massive decrease from his $9,900 price tag for last week’s John Deere Classic.
